Darkest Desires
by Snowells1234
Summary: There's been a rash of killings around wizarding Britain the victims: Pureblood Wizards. Follow Hermione as she uncovers some of the dark secrets locked in that community.
1. chapter 1

H _i guys this is my first harry potter fanfiction. This story will be dark. With torture, character death and gruesome scenes, so if you dont like that kinda thing please leave. I want to thank the person who helped me by editing it. You know who you I just want to say you are wonderful. One more thing please try not to flame this story. Now enjoy_.

Mud squished beneath his boots as he made his way up the long driveway. The Ministry official had come to the old manor to discuss the recent events that had unfolded earlier that evening. He was an older man with thinning grey hair and a beard to match.

He had hoped that Foalyn Lestrange would be understanding, but the more he thought about it, the more unlikely he thought that would be. The rain had subsided, leaving nothing but soft ground in its wake. He cursed under his breath as he nearly slipped in a particularly wet spot.

Recovering from the near accident, and straightening himself, he was relieved to see that he had made it to the imposing gothic style door. With a shaking hand, he knocked, the sound echoing neatly in the night air.

The large door swung open to reveal a small creature with big ears and equally big frightened eyes—the family house-elf, Molly. She squeaked out a small, "Yes?"

The Ministry official looked down at her and asked, "Is your master in?"

The house-elf nodded her head in a jerky motion before ushering him in.

oOoOoOo

The Lestrange manor's interior was as massive as the exterior suggested, the spacious foyer greeting him lead to a grand staircase. Soon, he is lead into the stately office of the master of the house. He can't help but notice that it is three times larger than the size of his office at the Ministry.

The massive fireplace between the two leather chairs would be large enough to fit a caribou, if one wished to cook in it. He turned to look at the mahogany desk covered in papers, bottles of ink, and several thick volumes before turning his attention to the man sitting in front of the fire, nursing a drink and looking deep into the flames.

The house-elf announced his arrival before leaving the room with a deep bow. Long silver hair and small wrinkles adorn the man that stood to greet him, "Hello, Mr. Tuttle. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Mr. Lestrange, I trust you've heard about the death of Theodore Nott Sr. this afternoon?"

He motioned Mr. Tuttle to sit in the other leather chair. Mr. Lestrange looked at him questioningly and said, "I did, yes. How unfortunate it is to lose such a prominent member of our society. But that does not explain why an upper level Ministry official is gracing my doorstep at such a late hour."

This was the part Mr. Tuttle had been dreading. He took a deep breath and looked into the fire. His voice shook when he spoke, "We have strong evidence that suggests he was murdered."

Mr. Lestrange lifted his gaze from his glass, shocked. "What? How?"

Mr. Tuttle looked down at the expensive animal hide carpet, hoping to avoid the question. "We believe that he was pushed down his staircase by an intruder. No magical residue was left behind, so it is assumed the the assailant is a muggle and targeting pureblood wizards. You remember when Orion Black was found dead? Our medical examiner found high levels of radiation in his system."

"Mr. Tuttle, I mean no disrespect, but even if someone is targeting pureblood wizards, I sincerely doubt the perpetrator to be a muggle." he countered as he took a sip of his whiskey. Mr. Tuttle stared unflinchingly, "Even if it isn't a muggle, the Ministry would like to offer protection to pureblood wizards."

Foalyn Lestrange laughed as he stood and walked to a small table beside his desk, "I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm capable of taking care of myself."

He refilled his glass of whiskey and returned to his seat, "If that is all, Mr. Tuttle, it is getting quite late. You should be going."

Mr. Tuttle was not pleased with his decision, but knew that there was no use forcing protection on him if he did not want it, and took his leave.

oOoOoOo

Foalyn bid Mr. Tuttle a good night as he left the room and took a sip of his drink, feeling the familiar burn down his throat. He couldn't help but think about what the man had said, but how would a muggle be capable of killing two fully grown wizards? It just didn't make any sense. How would they get past their wards? And why were they doing it? After turning these thoughts around in his head, he decided that he wouldn't find the answers he was looking for tonight and downed the rest of his glass.

As he climbed the massive staircase on the way to his room, he observed the family portraits that covered nearly every inch of the wall. He paused when he came to an empty spot, his mind going back to the day it was taken down. He vanished the memory as quickly as it came though, with no desire to revisit that day.

He came to a stop in front of a door to a room he hadn't been in for a long time. He reached for the knob, turning it slowly and opening it to reveal an unfurnished room. Still, there wasn't a speck of dust on the floor; the house-elves must have continued to clean the room even as it stood unused.

His eyes ran over the wall where his family tapestry lied. Looking at all of the great wizards that had been in his family awashed him with pride, but one particular face caught his interest. His youngest son. He thought about turmoil the young boy had brought onto his family in recent years.

Oh, if only he had made the right decision when it came to his youngest, he just couldn't understand how the boy could bring such shame to the Lestrange name. The only source of relief was that no one would ever know about what he did. The Lestranges didn't disown, they simply replaced.

He didn't want to relive the memory any further and left the room. His master bedroom had a crackling fire going in the fireplace already and he couldn't help but be grateful for his wealth—to be able to afford luxuries, such as house-elves. His pajamas, along with his silk robe were already laid out on the end of the large four poster bed.

The soft silk sheets and luxurious fur comforter made the bed look especially inviting. He grabbed his pajamas and headed into the spacious bathroom which was illuminated by the small fireplace inside. Green and black tiles cover the walls and floor in an artful design. He is momentarily tempted by the wide bathtub, but ultimately decides against a bath for he is much too tired with the preparations for his friend's funeral occupying his mind.

A sudden noise coming from his room made him pause as he changed into his pajamas. He quickly grabbed his robe, feeling the smooth silk against his hands as he pulls it on. He stepped out of the bathroom, feeling the cool marble beneath his feet with his wand outstretched, bathing the room in light. He saw nothing.

With his heart pounding in his ears, he goes toward his closet, pulling the door open. Though he has long lost count of the many clothes and shoes within it, there was no one inside of the closet. He growls in frustration and for a moment thinks that he perhaps has taken what Mr. Tuttle had said too seriously and reminds himself that no one can get into the house with the wards up.

But the Blacks and Notts also had the same extensive wards, and look at what had happened to them, a small voice in the back of his mind says. He let out a tired sigh as he exited the closet, deciding that it would be best to go to bed and silence his thoughts. His mind however, betrayed him as he climbed into bed, badgering him again with Mr. Tuttle's words.

But how, were his last thoughts before he drifted to sleep.

oOoOoOo

A muffled bang caused to Foalyn jolt awake and grab his wand from the bedside table, muttering a quick Lumos. His heart raced as he realized that the noise had not been an imagination.

All he could see were the shadows cast by his furniture, but as he scanned the room, he noticed something out of place. His dresser drawer was open. Curious, he pushed the comforter off and climbed out of bed. The fire had ebbed while he slept, the room was colder than before.

He peered inside of the open drawer, seeing its usual contents of letters, documents, and a few photographs. He began shuffling through the drawer and slowed as it dawned on him what was missing. It was not of great importance, but it was still not something he wanted in the hands of a stranger. As he continued to shuffle through the papers, he heard a sharp squeak of rubber soles behind him. Foalyn Lestrange had tried to whip his head around, but a gloved hand had closed over his mouth, muffling his scream as a needle was stabbed into his neck.

There was nothing, but darkness then.


	2. Chapter Two

_Oh, wow two chapters in less than 24 hours. This is exciting. This chapter was not grammer checked so please excuse the mistakes. leave your comments._

 _update: Im redid this chapter with a Beta._

It was mid-August and there was a nip in the air, for that reason Hermione Granger pulled her black jacket closer to herself. She was going through Diagon Alley headed to Flourish and Botts.

As the crowded streets started to thin out, she let her mind wander. The war was over and people were trying to get back to normal which wasn't easy with all the carnage and lives lost because of it.

The alley was busy with students and parents running around trying to get everything that would be needed for this coming up school year. Hermione almost missed those times going to school. It would have been a better experience without having to prepare for an appending war.

But now those days were behind everyone.

She reached the entryway of the popular store where kids of all ages were pouring out of it, carrying their load and some of them having difficulty. Once inside, she took a deep breath, inhaling one of her favorite scents.

Walking to the front desk, she put on a bright smile and asked, "Hi, I'm here to pick up a book I put on reserve,"

The woman behind the desk was thin and tired looking. She looked at Hermione through her square glasses. "Which book was it, Ms. Granger?"

"The History of Magical Law." She replied, drumming her fingers on the wooden desk in front of her.

The woman walked off to the back to retrieve her book and Hermione used this time to scan the crowd. There were many of them who were strangers to Hermione, but one familiar face popped out at her. The man was tall and had sharp features, evidently having grown out of his baby face school days.

"Neville!" she cried out to her old schoolmate. He looked up with a giant smile spreading across his face as he saw her. Walking the short distance to her, he lifted his arms awaiting a hug which Hermione gladly gave in to.

He was dressed in an simple blue sweater and smelled of dirt. After he released her, she beamed at him. "So how's the teaching going?"

He gave a quick nod replying, "It's going well. I just hope the kids this year are going to like what I have planned."

Neville was always one to worry, but she knew he was going to do great. She told him so.

"I'm sure you're going to do wonderful. Don't be so nervous. Just remember they're probably just as nervous too."

He simply shook his head in an agreement. "I hope you're right."

"I know I am," she declared as she turned around to get the book from the witch behind the desk. She bids her thanks to the woman and paid.

"What about you? How's the exciting life of a detective?" he inquired.

She thought about it and answered. "Oh, it's great. Well, except all the murder, but other than that it's good."

"I know you heard about Theodore Nott Sr," he said in a low whisper.

"Yeah, I'm on that case," she frowned, thinking about how everyone seemed to think the assailant was a Muggle.

They began walking towards the exit when Neville stopped dead in his tracks, a look of complete horror coming across his face. Confused, Hermione followed his gaze out of the window and was utterly shocked at what she saw. Coming down the alleyway was a wheelchair inflamed. People were screaming and scrambling to get out of the way as it raced down the street.

Her instincts kicked in. Running out of Flourish and Botts with Neville in hot pursuit, she whipped out her wand from her coat, ready to fire off a spell, but before she could get out a syllable the wheelchair came to a sudden stop when it crashed into a display of brooms. People were motionless as Hermione slowly approached the burning inferno.

Casting a quick water conjuring spell, she could see that this wasn't just a wheelchair on fire, but that a charred body was sitting inside. As she moved closer she had to hold back a gag as the smell of gasoline and burned flesh reached her nostrils. She lifted her wand and sent a quick patronus to the Ministry telling them the location and demanding to send out aurors immediately. As the blue otter flew through the air, she knew that something had to be done about the crowd.

As if reading her mind Neville shouted, "Everybody needs to keep back, please!" The crowd that gathered began to inch backwards at his request.

Everyone seemed to watch her as she began running a test. With her wand scanning the body or what was left of it she let out a frustrated sigh as she wasn't getting any magical residue or even a signature for that matter. Which meant that the person didn't use magic and that it was the same individual who had just killed Theodore Nott Sr as well as Orion Black. The assailant had officially become a serial killer.

Hermione whirled around when she heard a pop behind her, but lowered her wand when the person was just revealed to be her lifelong friend Harry Potter. Whispers began to intensify with his arrival.

"Okay, Hermione what's so important?" he questioned her. "I was about to take my lunch break a moment ago."

She stepped out of the way, so he could get a good look at the scorched remains. He froze in his tracks. "Whoa. That's not something you see everyday." he replied with a look of disgust.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. Moving closer to him, she was whispering into his ears, "I did a magical scan and nothing. Exactly like the rest, no magical signature whatsoever."

He frowned at the news, but didn't say anything. He moved closer to the wheelchair instead. Covering his mouth, Harry retreated back a few steps, looking like he might throw up.

"Did anyone see anything?" he inquired, looking at the mess.

She began scanning the crowd, "I haven't asked yet." Her eyes landed on a friendly face in the crowd. It was Professor McGonagall who was now headmistress with the war being over with.

She headed in the direction of her former teacher and while doing that, she heard the pops of other Ministry officials arriving. The other woman was only smiling as she approached.

"I see you're awfully busy, Ms. Granger," stated the older witch. Before Hermione could open her mouth to reply, a deep voice spoke up. "Actually, shouldn't you be calling her detective Granger?"

Hermione looked to her left and standing next to McGonagall was a man she didn't recognize. He was tall with dark hair and a nice tan. He also had broad shoulders and brown eyes. She felt flabbergasted at first.

He seemed to notice, because he gave a bright smile and extended his hand for her to shake. She grasped his large hand and asked, "How do you know that?"

He just seemed to brush off her question by letting go of her hand and replying, motioning to the woman beside him, "My aunt here talks about you all the time."

Now she was amazed, she didn't know McGonagall had a nephew. When she found her voice again, she said, "And what's your name?"

He let out a puff of air and scratched the back of his head opening his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the older witch. "Andrew. His my brother's son. He came down to visit."

Hermione simply nodded her head. She had a job to get back to, so she conjured a pen and writing pad. Looking at the two, she started asking questions-

"Did any of you see anything?"

Andrew spoke first. "No. I was at the cafe getting some lunch." She scribbled that down looking to McGonagall. She waited as the woman just stared at her nephew.

"I saw the wheelchair roll down the street, but nothing else," came her answer.

"Okay. Well, thanks for your statements. I have a lot more of these to get to so I should be going," she said this as she turned to leave.

The other Aurors were running around to get people's statements when Hermione walked back over to Harry after she filled her book up with everyone's different versions of what they saw. He was watching as the body was being prepared to be transported back to the Ministry.

"I think we should try to find out where the body came from first," he said. Hermione agreed, shaking her head and pointed in the direction it came from. Harry followed right on her heels.

When they got past the crowd of people, she began talking.

"Hey, did you know McGonagall has a nephew?" He looked up from where he had been staring at the ground with a look of disbelief.

"Really?" he almost shouted, not believing it.

The street grew quieter as they moved further down the street. "Yeah, his name is Andrew." Her cheeks were becoming a little red when she remembered his smile. She felt like a teenager gossiping.

"So, what are you and Ginny going to do for your anniversary?" she questioned.

"I think I'll pack a picnic and we'll just go to a secluded spot near a lake." came his answer.

Hermione was grinning from ear to ear. If anyone knew how to be romantic it was Harry.

She still remembered when the pair got married. It was a small ceremony with just close friends and family in a very deserted area of wild flowers. The happy couple glowed as they said their wedding vows behind the setting sun. Hermione wore her red bridesmaids dress with pride. Ron was standing beside Harry, grinning as he watched his best mate marry his sister.

"That sounds lovely. I'm sure she's going to love it," she replied when she finally snapped out of her memory.

Coming to the end of the alley, Hermione spotted liquid on the ground. She approached the spot bending down. The smell was strong, almost gag worthy, but she recognized it immediately gasoline.


	3. Chapter Three redone

_I decided to redo this cjapter a little because I didnt like what i wrote. Sorry to everone who read the last version. I still don't have a Bata so please ignore the mistakes. Also leave your reviews I love hearing what you guys think._

Hermione woke up to the sound of her alarm clock blaring in the background of her peaceful sleep. She opened her eyes, realizing that the sun was peeking through her window, she grabbed her wand and flicked it towards the intrusive sound making it stop. Stretching she pulled the warm covers back and stepped out of bed the cool air making her shiver.

Heading into her small bathroom, she began her normal morning routine. Once she stepped back into her room she began trying to find something to wear. Deciding on a simple white dress shirt and black trousers she applied a little makeup. After she approved her look in the mirror, she headed downstairs to grab a cup of coffee.

As she stands at her kitchen sink the smell of coffee surrounded her she was thinking about Andrew, and how weird it was McGonagall never mentioned him before. Her attention was averted to the window as a blue light slithers in. It stops in front of her. Confused about who could be trying to contact her she puts all thoughts of Andrew on hold.

It begins take the shape of a horned owl a voice comes from it, "Hermione you need to come to the medical office first thing this morning." She recognizes the voice as being the chief medical examiner Mrs. kimble.

Knowing that it must be of great importance Hermione scrambled through her small kitchen finishing the last of her coffee and leaving the empty cup on the island. She rushed to the sitting area grabbing a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace saying in a loud voice, "The Ministry of magic." The green flames engulfed her. When they finally cleared she stepped through to the normal hustle and bustle.

It was like this every morning people running around trying to get to their respective places. She fought her way through the crowd of people to get the elevator. Hearing the shout of a newsboy advertise the headlines of today's Daily Prophet, "Detectives baffled by blazing wheelchair."

Finally making it inside the elevator she told the elf her desired floor. The small cramped space was packed with people. She heard the clearing of a throat beside her, turning her head to greet the person.

"Hello, Ms. Granger." Greeted an older wizard she recognized as Mr. Tuttle, he worked in her department as a chief executive officer.

He was in charge of offering people protection if needed. She knew, because of the recent killings that Lucius Malfoy had taken him up on his offer, but no one else had.

"Good Morning Mr. Tuttle." She greeted him back. He gave her a bright smile before opening his mouth and asking in a small whisper, "How's the case going? Do you know who was found the other day?"

She thought before she answered. She didn't want anyone to overhear. "It's good, but we still don't know who the body is." Whispering back the man frowned but nods his head.

Stepping off the elevator the first thing she noticed was that everyone was running around. Conversations flying around she could only catch a few snippets like "impossible, Who do we inform, and never seen before."

Her curiosity was growing as she headed straight for Mrs. Kimble's office. Crossing the threshold of the small lab she saw the plump woman standing beside a metal table with a white sheet over what she assumed was the body. Mrs. Kimble looked up from her clipboard giving Hermione a small smile. She returned the favor as she walked over to stand beside her.

"We did a dental test on the victim and found out he's Foalyn Lestrange, but Cause of death was undetermined because of the state of the body." The woman proclaimed. This news was not good, because now they still weren't any closer to finding out who it was or why.

"But there's somethings I think you should see." She said lifting the sheet.

The body was just as she expected, burnt with no sign of it being the once powerful wizard. Mrs. Kimble grabbed the wrist with a gloved hand and pointed to the hand where Hermione could see that he was missing his fingers.

"He was tortured before being killed." She stated. The woman nodded her head in agreement.

"Upon further inspection we also found that his tongue and been removed." She said placing the hand in its original position.

Her mind was racing with so many thoughts she felt dizzy. She looked up and something on the other table caught her attention. Walking to the to other side of the medical table she saw that there was a mini muggle motor with fire damage on it sitting there. "This can't be what he used to control the wheelchair is it?" She asked baffled.

The woman followed her gaze and said, "We can't be sure, but this case is like nothing I've ever seen before."

She began looking around hoping this case wouldn't get any crazier than it already had.

But knowing her luck it was just the beginning, because at that moment Mrs. Kimble walked over to her desk grabbing a plastic bag. Walking back to where Hermione was. Dangling the small bag in front of her face she could clearly see something was inside. The item was small about the size of a nail. She also noted that it was white, but she had no idea what it was.

"What is that?" She grabbed the bag to have a closer look. It had no identifiable marks on it.

"I think it's a crystal, but I'm not sure what kind." Hermione began to think about this. Why would there be a crystal and where was it located?

"Where was it found?" She questioned turning the bag over in her hand. She could feel the small indentation of the crystal through the bag.

The woman reached for the bag. Hermione returned it safely back to her. "It was lodged inside the motor." She answered walking back over to her desk placing it on top.

She felt completely frustrated the more she thought about it. This killer wasn't making it easy. Turning to leave she asked, "Is that all you've found?" Hoping it was because she needed to talk to Harry about the recent revaluations.

The older witch nodded her head. Thankful that she was, Hermione walked out of the office determined to solve this one.

OoOoO

Harry's office was on the 14th floor the same as hers. She lifted her hand and knocked. A voice granted her access. Walking inside she could see that the office was covered in unfiled paperwork. She saw him sitting behind his desk reading the Daily Prophet. Looking up from the newspaper he offered her a smile.

"Anything new?" Harry questioned placing the paper on his desk. He had dark circles under his eyes, she guessed he hadn't been sleeping well.

"There's a lot to tell you." She confessed. She walked over to a leather seat in front of his and say down. This was going to be interesting.

After telling him about everything that happened at the medical examiners office he was silent. Scratching the back of his head he looked completely dumbfounded. She felt the same way like they knew this was going to be extremely difficult case to crack.

"What if the crystal is a way to get the muggle motor to work?" Harry said after a moment of silence. She thought about it, it could be possible.

"But where would he get them?" She retorted. This case had too many questions and not enough answers. Her head was starting to pound with the intense thinking being done.

"I think maybe after we catch this guy we hire him." He joked trying to make light of a horrible situation. Hermione smiled adding, "Yea, and maybe he can solve the other problems in this world."

Laughing at her joke he stood tapping his fingers on the edge of his oak desk. Walking to stand in front of the whiteboard that was beside his filing cabinet. It was scattered with pictures of the victims, the crime scenes, and notes scribbled all over.

"I just don't get it. These men weren't death eaters except Theodore Nott Sr. So why go after the other two?" He stated looking hard at the board. It was an obvious question everyone was asking.

"I don't think he's killing them, based on whether or not they had any connections to Voldemort, it's got to be something else." She countered. "I mean look at how the other two were killed Orion Black was slipped liquid radiation in his whiskey, it would have been extremely painful way to go." She said standing and pointing at his picture.

Moving on she pointed to the next victim. "But Theodore Nott Sr was pushed down the stairs, bad way to die but not what one would call horrendous."

Moving on to the last picture she stated, "And finally Foalyn Lestrange he had his tongue and fingers removed before being lit on fire. So maybe we should focus on Foalyn since he's the one who was tortured the most, maybe it has something to do with him."

Harry stepped back considering her words. "I think your right. Foalyn will be our focus for now, so I'll pull all records on him." He said as he clapped his hands together walking back to his desk to get to work.

She had smile on her face grateful that they might actually be making progress. Walking towards the door she turned around and said, "While you're doing that I'll talk to his house-elf and see if they know anything. I mean who better to ask than a creature who knows about your doings."

"Sounds like a plan." Harry shook his head in agreement.

Making her way out of his office she turned heading for the floo network, but was stopped when she ran right into someone's chest. Large hands grabbed to steady her. Confused she looked up to see who almost toppled her over. She instantly recognized those brown eyes and dark tan.

Andrew was currently holding her by the shoulders a look of concern on his face. "Are you ok?" He questioned his eyes looking her over searching for any damage.

She felt her heart banging against her ribcage, but shook off the initial shock. "What are you doing here?" She questioned looking around noticing some people were staring at them. Looking back at him she caught a Whiff of his cologne, he smelled of old books and cut grass.

He let out a small chuckle, which made her heart jump a little. Running his long fingers through his dark hair he looked around. He was wearing a white buttoned up shirt with black trousers. "I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to have dinner with me sometime?" He replied looking back at her with hopeful eyes.

To say she was perplexed by his offer was an understatement. She didn't know what to say. Why would he want to go out with her they only meet once.

He could see the wheels spinning in her head so he offered up an explanation, "I'm new here and thought it might be nice to get to know you, that's all."

She wasn't sure about this, but something in the back of her head said to give him a shot. Finally finding her voice she blushed a little and answered, "Sure, why not."

He seemed to be surprised by her response because he just stood there looking like a deer in the headlights. When he snapped out of it, his reply was simple, "How about this Saturday pick you up at 8?"

She nodded her head in agreement. Andrew gave her a bright smile and said, "Ok, sounds great. See ya Saturday."

Waving at him as he left she had to think a moment where was she headed before. Realization dawned on her, oh yea that's right Lestrange manor

oOoOo

Arriving outside the old manor she couldn't help but notice how it screamed pureblood wealth, with its huge exterior that had massive gothic style windows. She reached the mahogany door and lifted her hand to knock. The sound echoing all around her. The door opened to show a house-elf wearing nothing but a pillowcase.

"How can i help you?" Came its timid voice.

She instantly felt bad for the creature, who kept its head lowered. "I'm here to talk to you about your master." She spoke softly. The house-elf looked at her with worry on her face, clearly she knew something wasn't right.

"Has something happened to master Lestrange?" The house-elf's voice going frantic as she pulled on her oversized ears.

Hermione shook her head confirming that yes indeed something had happened and opened her mouth, "What's your name?" She questioned.

The house-elf began to sob uncontrollably. Tears staining the creatures face. She felt awful, but knew there was nothing that could be done.

"Molly is me name miss." she spoke in between wails. Hermione didn't know what to do now she needed to ask Molly some more questions, but she couldn't do that in the state she was in.

She nodded her head and said in a calm voice, "Ok, Molly I need you to tell me when was the last time you saw your master?"

The creature blew her nose into the garment she was wearing and blinked a couple of times trying to hold back the tears. "I seen him four nights ago. He even had a visitor, a Mr. Tuttle he did." She began pulling on her ears again and crying.

Hermione knew that Mr. Tuttle had probably come to offer Mr Lestrange some protection so it wasn't suspicious. She looked at the Molly and asked, "Is anything missing from the home?" Maybe he left, but that seemed unlikely.

Molly seemed to be thinking about it as she put her hand under her chin with her eyes to the ceiling. Her fingers snapped a look of accomplishment spread across her face. Her voice growing with excitement, the tears momentarily forgotten. "Up in masters bedroom Molly noticed an open draw and papers on the floor she just knew master would never leave it open like that. So I put all that papers back, but there was a picture missing."

She felt excitement come over her as she heard what Molly said. This could be a piece to the puzzle. "What was the picture of?" She asked.

The house-elf blinked a few times thinking again. "It was Master Foalyn, Mr. Black, Mr. Nott, and Mr. Malfoy." she replied.

Hermione felt her blood run cold three out of those four men were already dead. She bid her thanks to Molly and raced out the manor. She had to get to Harry to tell him she thinks the killer may have his next victim.


	4. Chapter 4

Ok guys, I know that it took me awhile to get this chapter out. So please tell me what you think.

For the second time that day she was standing in Harry's office. She was pacing the carpeted floor and staring at the man before her, who was just looking at her with doubt on his face. She was nervous, because it didn't seem like her long-time friend was believing her theory about Abrexis Malfoy being the next victim.

"It sounds like you're jumping to conclusions, just because a picture is missing means nothing." He argued sitting behind his desk shuffling through papers.

She couldn't understand why he didn't take this as seriously as her. Stopping her pacing she looked at him with a look of shock. The air in the room got colder as the tension grew.

"How could you say that, I mean why else would they take the photo?" She retorted.

He just shrugged his shoulders looking back at the papers on his desk. Her patients began to wear thin as she realized that he wasn't going to believe her. Turning on her heel she stomped towards the door slamming it as she stormed out.

Aggregated she thought of who would believe her. Only one person came to mind. Turning in the direction of her office she stepped inside. It was colder in there, so she cast a warming up charm on herself. Walking over to her desk she pulled a piece of parchment from the top draw. Grabbing the quill she began writing.

Once the short note was complete she grabbed her wand, sending the crane shaped message flying out the door and to the intended party. Waiting for a reply she started to wonder if it would be a good idea to try to warn Mr. Malfoy about the threat she believed his life to be in.

Looking around her office she thought it would be a good idea to read, while she waited for a reply.

Standing she made her way to the bookshelf she had in the corner. Books filled the shelves as she scanned the many volumes she couldn't help but remember how Andrew had smelled like old books. Shaking her head getting her mind back on track she choose a thick book and returned to her desk.

About halfway through her reading she heard a knock at the door. She looked up from her book and invited the person in. When the door opened it revealed her second best friend Ronald Wesley. He had gotten taller since they graduated she noted as he filled her doorway. Ushering him in she motioned for him to sit in the seat in front of her.

As he closed the door he asked in a worried tone, "So what's going on?"

She took a deep breath sliding forward in her chair, placing her hands on the hard desk. Her actions reminding her of Dumbledore when he was trying to explain something to a student.

"I went to the Lestrange manor and spoke to his house-elf Molly," She began to explain. "She told me there was an open drawer and a photo was missing from the house. The photo was of three of the four victims. I believe that our killer is going to target the other wizard in the photo, but Harry doesn't think that." She finished her predicament.

Ron was quiet as she spoke, but once she had finished he looked perplexed and replied, "I'm going to have to agree with Harry. Just because a photo's missing doesn't mean that the killer has it."

Hermione sat with her mouth opened, she couldn't believe that both of her friends were just sweeping this under the rug. If anything she thought they would stand by her.

"Listen, if you get some hard evidence, then contact me." He said getting up and leaving.

She felt defeated. Hermione knew she was in this alone, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Standing from her seat she walked towards the door opening it.

Thinking about the case was going to do nothing but give her a headache. Going through the busy floor she headed to the floo network she grabbed a handful stepped inside and shouted, "The Burrow."

After the flames subsided she stepped out looking for a familiar face, but was instead greeted by the head of the family Molly Wesley. The woman looked up and ran over and gave her a bone crushing hug.

After being released Hermione asked, "Where is Ginny?"

Molly gave her a bright smile and pointed in the direction of the kitchen adding, "She's on her break right now. Help yourself to anything." Nodding her head and saying she would Hermione headed in the direction of the smell of something being cooked, it smelled of chicken and potatoes.

The small kitchen was unusually deserted only being occupied by the youngest of the Weasley clan. Standing over a boiling pot and stirring the contents inside. She didn't even notice Hermione enter.

Clearing her throat the redhead jumped in surprise but relaxed when she saw who it was. "Hermione I thought you were at work?" Came the young woman's reply.

"I was, but I got sort of a snag. Harry and Ron don't think that a missing picture is a big deal." She briefly explained.

Ginny stopped stirring and looked at her friend. She felt for her but she knew she couldn't do anything about it. Technically she wasn't even suppose to know about the details of the case, but sometimes Hermione would let things slip.

Decided to change the subject The browned haired witch leaned forward and said in an excited voice, "Andrew asked me out on a date, for this Saturday."

"Who's Andrew?" Her friend seemed confused. She couldn't believe that Harry didn't tell his wife about McGonagall's nephew.

"He's McGonagall's nephew. He showed up at my work and asked me out." She said.

Ginny face broke out into the biggest grin that Hermione thought her face would split into. "Where is he taking you?" She squealed.

"I'm not sure he didn't say probably just out to dinner." The more she thought about it she hoped it was just dinner, she knew how some guys liked to sleep around on the first date.

Pulling the pot off the hot burner and grabbing a bowl from the table behind her Ginny seemed to have an idea, because her face lit up and she said, "We need to go shopping so you can have a cute outfit to wear."

She groaned. It wasn't that she didn't like shopping but going with Ginny was always a hassle, they could be at it for hours. "I don't know Ginny. It's not like I don't have cute clothes already."

"Oh, come on Hermione it'll be fun. And besides you've been working so hard lately, you deserve a break." She argued pouring the soup into the bowl.

"I've been working to find this killer." Her reasoning wearing thin with look of pleading from the woman in front of her.

Huffing in defeat she nodded her head in agreement. "Fine I'll go but only if we don't spend all day shopping?" Ginny let out a squeak and smiled. Running with her arms stretched out she gave Hermione a hug.

Pulling her out of the hug she left the kitchen waiting for her friend to get ready forgetting the cooked soup. Once she was ready they both stepped through the floo to diagon alley.

The streets weren't as busy as they were on any typical day, everyone seemed to be on edge about the rash of killings. Making their way through the street Ginny stopped when they made it to Magical Outfitters. Going inside they were greeted by a short witch with long blonde hair. Hermione couldn't recall the woman's name.

The woman smiled warmly at them as they approached the desk.

"My friend needs something to wear for a date this saturday."

The woman smiled a knowing smile and lead them in the direction of some very expensive looking clothing. It made Hermione think of the Malfoys and she knew she couldn't afford even a scarf. Ginny started pulling stuff off the rack holding up a red top, but shook her head when she held it in front of her.

"Ginny you know I can't afford this kind of stuff." She complained but it fell on deaf ears as her friend continued to browse.

"Oh, Hermione stop how many times do I have to tell you if you buy at least one cute outfit you'll never have to buy anything else."

Rolling her eyes she tried her best to not complain too much. She knew Ginny was just trying to help. Leaving her friend to her own devices she heading in another section of the store.

Scanning the racks she began thinking about how much things had changed. Everyone had either gotten married right after the war or went straight into work. She had thought her life would be different, like she would be married by now, but fate had a different plan. Her and Ron had tried to make it work but they decided to break things off. He was now married to Lavender Brown while she dedicated her life to her work.

Pulling her thoughts out of the current state of her life she looked through the racks a little more when her eyes landed on a beautiful blue top. It had one strap and it was loose fitting. Grabbing it she headed to the front desk looking for the woman who had greeted them.

"Oh, I see you found something, great choice." The clerk said once she placed her item on the counter. Ginny came around the corner, both arms loaded with clothes, once she saw that Hermione had already purchased something her expression turned sour.

"I thought you were going to let me help?"She cried. Dropping the load to the floor.

Hermione felt bad, it wasn't that she didn't appreciate her friends opinion it was just Ginny would insist that she wear something that she wasn't comfortable with.

"Calm down, I know I don't have the best fashion sense but I have a pair of jeans that would go great with this top." She declared smiling. Grabbing her bag and heading out the door.

"Fine but I get to do your hair." The younger witch stated as she followed her out the door.

Laughing as they walked down the street made Hermione happy, because she had never got to just have fun, with her job she hardly got a full night's sleep. Heading down the sidewalk they stopped at a small cafe to get a bite.

"Do you have any idea why pureblood Wizards are being targeted?" Ginny asked worry clear on her face.

Looking up from the menu Hermione reached across the table and gave her friend's hand a squeeze. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure that the killer isn't going to target any of the Wesleys."

"Yea, but how do you know that? This person seems to be killing randomly. You don't even have a motive yet do you?" She said harshly.

Closing her eyes and releasing her hold, she avoided the question. She wasn't suppose to talk about the case with anyone who was not working on it. Ginny shook her head clearly upset when she saw that she wasn't going to say anything more on the matter.

"How's everything going with your anniversary gift to Harry?" Trying to stir the conversation back to safer waters. It seemed to work, because the other woman's face turned a deep shade of red, looking away.

"It's going good. I'm still not sure what to get him though." She replied.

The waiter came and took their orders. Hermione sat back in her chair thinking about her upcoming date. She was nervous as all get out. Not knowing what to expect was eating away at her. What kind of stuff did Andrew like to do? What if she made a fool of herself?

"Hello, Hermione are you going to eat?" Her friend was waving her hand in front of her face. Blinking she looked down, her turkey sandwich sitting in front of her.

"Sorry, I'm just so nervous. I don't know anything about this guy. I think I've made a huge mistake." She spilled her thoughts out.

Grabbing her hand Ginny told her to breath and that everything was going to be ok. But she still had her doubts. Picking up her sandwich she lifted it to her mouth and began eating.

Releasing her hand Ginny turned her attention to her soup. I hope that I made the right decision. Was her final thought about her upcoming date.

 _Ok please review._


	5. Chapter 5

_Ok guys wow i can't belive how fast i wrote this chapter. I hope you enjoy it ._

Sitting in the upstairs bathroom of the Burrow, Hermione looked over her reflection fixing her make-up. She was nervous, she hadn't been on a proper date since after the war and that was 2 years ago. Victor Krum had came and helped during the war. Looking up Hermione when it was all over. She knew it wasn't going to last, but she felt like she needed a good distraction. He had took her out a few times but she felt bad for using him, mostly to get out pent up frustration. Ron had broke up with her right before the battle of Hogwarts. She should've been angry at him for dumping her before such a huge part of the war, but secretly she was glad he had because she used that anger towards the enemy.

"Come on, Hermione hurry up." Came Ginny's voice through the door. "I still have to do your hair."

"Alright, I'll be right out." Came her reply. Looking at herself one last time in the mirror, she was satisfied with her light make-up she headed for the door.

Turning the knob and opening the door she was greeted by her friend smiling from ear to ear. Ginny had been talking non-stop when she found out about the date; it was starting to drive her crazy.

Walking down the narrow hallway she began to think about how Harry had reacted when Ginny told him about her intended evening. He had been happy for her of course, but he also had been very protective; saying he was going to have a talk with Andrew before they left. She smiled when she thought of how Harry had decided to act. Her parents were still in Australia, sadly she had not found a way to bring back their memories.

"Are you ok?" Hearing her friends worried voice, she put on her best smile.

"Yea, just thinking about my mum and dad. They would have loved to be here." She felt sad, her parents had missed so much, but she didn't want to think about that right now because tonight was suppose to be a happy occasion.

Reaching the bedroom door Ginny pushed it open. Walking inside Hermione couldn't believe what she saw. On the bed there were about a dozen different magazines opened, each one showing off a different hairstyle; ranging from curls pinup to short bobs. She hoped Ginny wasn't planning on cutting her hair. Short hair she never liked.

"Ginny, I hope you're not planning on cutting my hair because I don't think I look good with short hair." She remembered when her dad had tried to cut her hair when she was younger; it didn't turn out the way either of them had hoped. She still remembers having to go to the local hairstylist having to fix what he called layers. She didn't take off her wool cap for months.

"I'm not going to cut your hair I promise I just needed to look at some options." She said as she moved to make Hermione sit in a rather uncomfortable looking wood stool. Making her face the large mirror.

Standing behind her the younger witch lifted her wand and started to wave it around her head. Her naturally bushy hair started to straighten. Parting her hair Ginny began flourishing her wand in a circular motion, the now straight strands started to move very slowly causing big reglets to appear.

"Do you have any idea where you're going tonight?" Ginny inquired walking over to the heap of magazines on the bed. Grabbing one she smiled and came back to stand behind her.

"No I have no idea." Hermione was getting tired of that question she had heard it about once every hour, from Both Ginny and Molly.

Breathing a sigh her friend looked at the picture one last time, before lifting her wand again and waving it. Her hair lifted in the air, it made Hermione think of when she went down a slide as a youngster and her hair stood on end. Ginny turned her wand in a counterclockwise motion manipulating the hair to twist into a tight bun. Finally she flicked her wand a few dozen times letting a few strands to pull through, some around her face as well as in the back.

Looking herself over; she had to give it to her friend she really knew how to master the beauty spells. Standing Hermione pulled her wand out of her robes did a quick accio allowing her clothes to fly into the room.

"I'll give you a minute."Ginny said as she walked through the opened door closing it behind her.

Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall; 7:55 it read. Oh crap she had to hurry. Andrew was picking her up in 5 minutes. She threw off her shirt in a quick fluid motion doing the same thing with her black dress pants. Grabbing her blue top she pulled it on, along with her jeans. Hermione felt panicked as she scanned the room for her brown boots. She crouched down beside the bed looking underneath, but sadly only saw dust. Her worry only seemed to grow if she wasn't ready she knew Ginny would never let her live it down.

Thinking of Ginny, she stood up from the hard floor and opened the door. She could hear voices downstairs; Andrew must be here she thought because she could hear feet pounding up the stairs racing to the bedroom.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw the redhead bounce up the stairs with face splitting grin.

"Do you know where my boots are?" She questioned hoping that she hadn't lost them.

"Yea I put them by the front door earlier, Andrew's here by the way." She said the smile growing on her face.

Letting out a deep breath she gathered herself. Her heart was beating against her ribcage, her feet felt heavy with every step she took down the staircase. She felt like she did at the Yule ball, but she didn't understand why; she wasn't a teenager anymore. Her body refused to listen to reason as she almost tripped on the remaining steps, thankful someone with strong hands caught her. Looking up she meet the familiar warm brown eyes of Andrew.

He had a smirk on his face. "I think it's a little early for you to be falling for me." His smooth voice spoke. She felt the all knowing heat spread across her cheeks.

Laughing it off and straightening up, she was a little disappointed when he released her. Ginny came into her line of vision, she was gushing and in her hand she had retrieved Hermione's boots. Walking past Andrew she held out her hand grabbing her boots. She walked over to an empty chair pulling them on. She could feel all eyes on her.

"Where are you two going for your date?" She could have killed Harry in that instant, but settled for a sharp glare instead, it was ignored as he waited for an answer looking at her date expectantly. It's not that she mind him being overprotective, but sometimes it was unnecessary.

Not deterred by his question Andrew opened his mouth to answer, but she beat him to it. "No, wait I don't want to know. I want it to be a surprise." And truly she did.

Andrew snapped his mouth shut, turning in her direction offering her a grin. Harry on the other hand glared at her date.

Standing she walked towards the front door retrieving her black jacket. Walking back to the crowded area she went to stand next to Andrew. He was smiling and he draped his arm around her shoulders.

Looking back at the Wesleys he opened his mouth to speak, "Do you mind if we use your floo?" He politely asked. Arthur just nodded his head. Andrew extended his hand to the older man; he graciously accepted the handshake.

"Why don't you just apperate?" Harry really was getting on her nerves tonight. She let out a annoyed sigh. Why couldn't he just behave? Andrew again didn't seemed bothered because his smooth voice replied, "I don't like side along apperation, it makes me sick."

When Harry seemed satisfied with his answer they headed towards the fireplace. She could feel the knots in her stomach beginning to develop, which only got worst when he wrapped his arm around her waist. Grabbing a handful of the offered floo he threw it at their feet saying, "Diagon Alley." in a booming voice.

The green flames subsided and Hermione looked at the familiar street, it was packed as usual. They stepped out, he released her waist as they headed down the sidewalk. She was curious as to where they were going. The curiosity was getting the best of her.

"Where are we going?" She couldn't hold back the question. He faced her smiling he asked, "I thought you wanted it to be a surprise?" She looked down feeling a blush creep on her face.

He turned back to scan the street as they continued to walk, he suddenly stopped, a broad grin formed on his face. Confused she followed his gaze and she saw a middle aged woman selling roses. Not missing a beat he left her side running up to the woman. The woman smiled as he gave her some coins in exchange for one rose.

Jogging back to where she had been standing he held the delicate flower out to her. "A beautiful flower for an equally beautiful lady."

She felt her cheeks go red again. Taking hold of the rose and lifting it to her nose to smell she accepted his gift. "Did you read a cheesy romance novel before picking me up?"

He looked down and returned to her side. Lifting his head back up he still had that same smile plastered on his handsome face. "No, but I heard some women love cheesy romance novels." He joked.

They began walking again. She was twirling the rose in her hand, while he reached for the other by her side. Noticing they had made it to the doorway of the alley she was confused. Looking at him he released his hold on her and began frantically searching his pockets of his jeans and then his black jacket. Panic spread across his face as he realized whatever he was missing he wasn't going to find on his person.

"Damn, it looks like I've forgotten my wand." She looked at him with disbelief. He just shrugged at her and looked with pleading eyes. "Do you think you could open the door for us?" He sounded embarrassed as he cheeks went red.

She reached into her jacket pocket and produced her wand. Lifting it to the bricks she hit the right ones. The bricks began to move away at their own accord leaving a door shaped hole. Andrew breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, what would I do without you?"

She grinned as he pulled her through the opening. Letting go of her wrist she put her wand back into her jacket pocket as he hailed them a cab. The warmth of cab enveloped them like a warm fire.

Andrew gave the driver a address she didn't recognize. As they speed through muggle London he looked at her with fascination. She began to think it was odd that he knew about muggle things wasn't the McGonagall's pureblood. "Did you research or have you spent time in muggle world?" She voiced her curiosity.

Pulling him from his thoughts he blinked a few times at her before saying, "My wife was a Muggle-born." He looked away his voice cracking a little at this declaration. She now regretted asking. The warm feeling in the cab dropped a few degrees.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." She said in a quiet voice. He looked back up his eyes showed unshed tears. "No, it's alright. You didn't know." He reassured her, but she couldn't shake the feeling she had stumbled onto a painful subject for him.

The awkward silence only grew as the the seconds ticked on. Then a thought dawned on Hermione. "How did you get to the Wesleys if you don't like apperation?"

He jumped a little startled by her voice. At first he looked confused, but her question seemed to register because a look of understanding crossed his face. "Oh, I flew on a broom. I would have suggested we fly, but your friend Ginny informed me that you don't care for it." She nodded confirming her friends statement.

He suddenly reached over closing the small space between them shielding her eyes with one of his large hands, as the cab went a few more feet and making a turn. It finally came to a halt. She felt like a kid forced to have their eyes closed during a birthday surprise. Grinning she opened her mouth expressing her displeasure, "Why won't you let me see where we are?"

She felt his hot breath on her ear as he whispered, "I share your statement you had earlier. I think it should be a surprise. Now if I remove my hand you have to keep your eyes closed promise?" She gave him a nod.

He slowly removed his hand to be sure she wasn't peaking. When he was satisfied she felt his arm slide around her waist and his mouth to her ear. "Ok, I'm going to have you scoot with me out of the cab." Again she nodded showing she understood. She heard the door open and the seat groan as she felt him pull her towards it.

Feeling Andrew let go of her waist she stretched her hands forward trying to feel how far she had come. Underneath her fingers she felt the edge of the seat. Turning she let her feet slowly slip out of the cab, hearing the familiar sound of concrete under her boots she stopped. Andrew grabbed her hand and she felt him pull her out of the cab. Following the pull she rose out of the seat only to feel a sharp smack to the top of her head. She let out a painful cry. Feeling arms wrap around her she opened her eyes to see him trying to hold back a laugh. Looking around her surroundings trying to distract herself from her throbbing head the first thing that caught her attention was the large glowing yellow lights that read: Bowling Lane.

 _Ok guys please let me know what you think please. Review and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon._


	6. Chapter 6

Andrew opened the door to the bowling lanes for her, Hermione could feel the butterflies from earlier in the evening return to her stomach. She had never bowled in her life. She wondered if Andrew had with his wife, but she didn't want the awkwardness of the cab to return, so she pushed the thought out of her mind.

Once inside she could see that the place was packed with a bunch of people. She saw some children eagerly waiting for their mom to retrieve their bowling shoes. As they waited their turn to pay a loud holler from lane three caught almost everyone's attention; she could see about five college looking guys celebrating as one of them got a strike. They were all high fiving and one even handed him a celebratory drink. Turning her attention back to her date, Andrew just shook his head at the celebration.

"What? You don't approve of drinking?" She playfully asked. He turned his gaze to her, there was a joking gleam in them. "I just know a bad combination when I see one." He said smiling at her. Looking back at the still celebrating table, she could see that most of them were indeed drunk as they stumbled around their table. She felt Andrew pull her hand forward grabbing her attention, so she looked forward, clearly seeing that they were up next.

Stepping up to the counter they were greeted by a man in his early thirties with short blonde hair. He greeted them with a smile. The rectangular name tag he was wearing read MIKE. "Hi, welcome to Bowling Lanes. What's your shoe size?" He asked his brown friendly eyes looked towards her first. "Seven and a half." She told him. He nodded and headed into the back Andrew took this opportunity to ask her, "Have you ever been bowling before?"

She shook her head; she began to think about how she was never really have any interest much as a child, except for reading. She even remembered when her mom tried to get her to do dance lessons. She got good at them but she had to quit once she found out she was a witch. She wanted to devote all her time to learning as much as possible about her new world. Looking back on it she regretted that decision. His next question pulled her from her emotional thoughts."I thought you were muggle born, how have you never been bowling?"

She smiled at him before answering, "I'm not much of a sports person." He nodded at her declaration. Mike came back into view carrying white and blue shoes, he placed them in front of her and faced Andrew. "Ok, what's your size?" He turned his head to face the man answering, "Nine and a half." Mike looked at her expectantly like he wanted something from her, she looked to Andrew hoping he could clear up her confusion. He smiled and leaned in whispering, "You have to take off your boots and give them to him or otherwise they think you'll steal their shoes." Motioning his eyes to her boots.

She felt heat burn her cheeks with embarrassment. Kneeling down she removed one boot and then the other. Handing them over to Mike he then disappeared into the back once more.

Hermione watched as he bent down and removed his shoes, the muscles in his back flexing beneath his black jacket. She wondered what he would do if she reached her hand out to touch him. As if reading her mind his eyes lifted to her face as he successfully removed the first black sneaker. He was smiling at her. "See something you like?" She felt her cheeks burn. Embarrassed that she had been caught staring she tore her gaze off him to look around.

There were twelve lanes and only one was available sadly for them it was beside the drunk college kids. She heard a noise behind her, turning her head she saw that Mike had returned; swapping out shoes. Andrew kneeled down again to put on the bowling shoes. This time she kept her eyes focused on anything else but the attractive man squating beside her.

"You ready to learn?" He stood grabbing her by the hand and navigating her towards the open lane. She nodded. He made a turn towards the bowling balls; they were all different sizes and colors. Dropping her hand and clapping his together he asked, "How much can you hold up easily?" She thought about this carefully. "About 5 pounds." He nodded his head. Looking at the array of options he walked over to a section of dark blue ones and picked one up. "Ok, I want you to take your middle finger, your ring finger and your thumb and put them inside the holes." He walked back over holding the ball out to her. She reached out her right hand, sliding the correct fingers into the holes. The ball felt slightly heavy at first but her arm got use to the weight.

Andrew was watching her the whole time and smiled when she said, "Yea I think this is a good one."

Cradling the ball in her hands she followed him over to the bigger ones. Once he selected a green one they made their way over to the empty lane. She felt butterflies in her stomach. What if I make a fool of myself? She thought but pushed back that voice as soon as they got to their lane. He placed his bowling ball down on his seat and motioned for her to follow.

Once they were at the lane he turned to her saying, "I want you to take the ball in your hand." She did. He came around to stand behind her. Feeling his warm breath tickle the back of her neck was distracting her to no end. She willed her mind to listen to him. He grabbed her hand that held the ball. "Ok, I want you to take three steps and then release the ball with some force." Nodding her head, she took three steps. She could feel him pulling her hand back and pushing it forward but then he made an unexpected left turn with her hand, sending the ball sailing through the air right into the next lane knocking off the other person's ball. She gazed to her left to see one of the college kids glaring at them. "Sorry she's new to bowling." Andrew apologized but she got the feeling that it wasn't sincere.

The man continued to glare, but turned back to his friends; who were watching the exchange. "You did that on purpose?" She turned and glared at him.

He just smiled and walked to the ball dispenser and retrieved her ball. She followed him to their table; feeling a little peeved. He was typing something on the computer in front of him; giving her a sideways glance Andrew let out a sigh and spoke in a whisper, "I noticed some of them eyeballing you, so I decided that they needed to focus on their game and not my date." Hermione felt touched by the gesture knowing that it came from concern for her.

"I thank you for the gesture, but I think it would have been best if you just let it go." He just nodded, focusing on the screen again. She felt like she had something wrong but didn't know how to fix it. "Ok, so now that you know the basics let's get started."

Standing he grabbed his ball and walked to the lane.

 ** _Hey I've had such a hard tine with this chapter. Sorry to keep yall waiting. So i decided to upload what I have. Please review it would really help. I'm doing a part two. Sorry if it's not as good as tge other ones._**


End file.
